The

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and national symbol, symbolizes a given nation. It is Fly (flag), flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanin ...

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

() is a tricolour featuring three equal horizontal bands of blue at the top, black in the centre, and white at the bottom. The flag is called () in Estonian. The tricolour was already in wide use as the symbol of the nation, when the

Republic of Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

became an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

country in 1918. Formally, the tricolour became the national flag by the decision of the Estonian government on 21 November 1918, and the

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

later reconfirmed the flag's official status with a law in 1922. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, soon after the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

army had invaded and occupied Estonia in June 1940, the new

Stalinist Stalinism (, ) is the totalitarian means of governing and Marxist–Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1927 to 1953 by dictator Joseph Stalin and in Soviet satellite states between 1944 and 1953. Stalinism in ...

occupation regime banned the Estonian flag, and its use as well as any use of its blue, black and white colour combination became punishable by laws of the Soviet Union. The Estonian flag was from 1940 until 1991 continuously used by the

Estonian government-in-exile The Estonian government-in-exile was the formally declared governmental authority of the Republic of Estonia in exile, existing from 1944 until the reestablishment of Estonian sovereignty over Estonian territory in 1991. It traced its legitimac ...

diplomatic service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtain diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...

, and the diaspora of Estonian

refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

s around the world. In October 1988, the public use of the tricolour flag was officially permitted again by the local authorities. On 23 February 1989, the Soviet red flag was taken down permanently from the most symbolic site of display, the Pikk Hermann tower of the

Toompea Castle Toompea castle () is a medieval castle on Toompea hill in the central part of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. In modern times, it houses the Parliament of Estonia (''Riigikogu''). History The Toompea castle's predecessor, an ancient Estoni ...

in the capital city

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

. It was replaced with the blue-black-white flag on the next morning, 24 February 1989, upon the 70th anniversary of the

Estonian Declaration of Independence The Estonian Declaration of Independence, formally titled the Manifesto to the Peoples of Estonia (), is the founding document which established the independent democratic Estonia, Republic of Estonia in 1918. Issued during a period of intense p ...

(1918). The national flag was officially re-adopted by the Estonian authorities in August 1990, one year before the nation's full restoration of independence in August 1991.

Official versions of the flag

History

In the 1820s, in the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country.

(

Dorpat Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

), three eponymous German-speaking student corporations (corps) were established for each of the three Baltic provinces (

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

and Curonia). Each of them selected their own "colours" which, in turn, over time, became flags and informal visual representations of the corresponding province. Public display (for example, as part of attire) of these colour combinations was prohibited by the authorities of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

in 1821–1862, in 1887–1904 and, after the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, finally and completely banned during the anti-German propaganda campaign in 1915. In 1870, the predecessor of the

Estonian Students' Society The Estonian Students' Society (; commonly used acronym: EÜS) is the largest and oldest all-male academical student society in Estonia, and is similar to the Baltic Germans, Baltic German student organizations known as German Student Corps, c ...

, the first Estonian-speaking student organisation, was established at the University of Tartu, and in 1881 it adopted a similar set of three "colours": blue, black, and white. Unlike the earlier corps' colour combinations, each one of the three colours of the new organisation was ascribed symbolic meanings. The first such tricolour flag was made in the spring of 1884 and consecrated at Otepää on June 4 at the same year. The blue-black-white flag of the Estonian university student organisation was later on gradually associated with Estonian nationalism and, by the beginning of the 20th century, it had already become the de facto flag of the Estonian-speaking people. It was known as "the nation's flag" (''rahvuslipp'') when the

was issued on 23–24 February 1918. Formally, the tricolour became the national flag of the newly independent country by the decision of the Estonian Provisional Government on 21 November 1918. On 12 December 1918, the flag was for the first time raised on top of the Pikk Hermann tower in

, the capital city of Estonia, and that location has since become its most symbolic site of display. The flag's official status was reconfirmed by a law passed by the parliament of Estonia on 16 July 1922. The invasion of Estonia by the

army on 16–17 June 1940 was followed by the banning of the flag by the occupation authorities. It was taken down from the most symbolic location, the tower of Pikk Hermann in Tallinn, on 21 June 1940, when the country was still formally independent. On the next day, 22 June, it was hoisted along with the red flag. The Estonian tricolour disappeared completely from the tower on 27 July 1940, and was replaced by the red

flag of the Soviet Union The State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also simply known as the Soviet flag or the Red Banner, was a Red flag (politics), red flag with two Communist symbolism, communist symbols displayed in the Canton (flag), canton: a gold ...

. During the German occupation from 1941 until 1944, the tricolour was widely and freely used as the symbol of the country and the people of Estonia. However the Nazi German authorities never recognized Estonia as an independent state and the German war ensign alone was flown from the Pikk Hermann tower. After the German retreat from Tallinn in September 1944, the Estonian tricolour was hoisted there, once again, for just a few days. When the Soviet army reconquered Tallinn on 22 September 1944, the blue-black-white flag disappeared from the Pikk Hermann tower. Its place was subsequently taken by the Soviet red flags until 1989. Any display or distribution of the blue-black-white flag remained a punishable crime by the Soviet laws which were enforced until the late 1980s. 21 October 1987 was the first time when Soviet forces did not take down the flag at a public event. In October 1988, the public use of the tricolour flag was officially permitted again by the local authorities. On 23 February 1989, the Soviet red flag was taken down permanently from the Pikk Hermann tower in Tallinn. It was replaced there with the blue-black-white flag on the next morning, 24 February 1989, upon the 70th anniversary of the

(1918). It was formally redeclared as the national flag on 7 August 1990, a little over a year before Estonia restored full independence.

Specifications

The colour shades are defined by Parliament and Government Office as follows:

Selections from the Estonian Flag Act

The most recent Estonian Flag Act was passed 23 March 2005 and came into force on 1 January 2006. It has been amended several times since then. The Act specifies the colours in Pantone and CMYK formats, as well as specifying when it can be hoisted and how it can be used and by whom. The minimum size of the flag to be hoisted on a wall-mounted flagstaff or on a flagpole on the roof of a building is . The Act specifies that the "Estonian flag is used as the ethnic and the national flag". More specifically, the Flag Act specifies that the flag be hoisted on the Pikk Hermann tower in Tallinn every day at sunrise, but not earlier than 7:00 a.m., and is lowered at sunset. The flag flying days are: * 3 January: Commemoration Day of Combatants of the Estonian War of Independence * 2 February: Anniversary of Tartu Peace Treaty * 24 February:

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

* 14 March: Mother Tongue Day * 23 April: Veterans' Day * The second Sunday of May: Mothers' Day * 9 May: Europe Day * 1 June: Day for the Protection of Children * 4 June: Flag Day * 14 June: Day of Mourning * 23 June:

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

* 24 June: Midsummer Day * 20 August: Day of Restoration of Independence * 1 September: Day of Knowledge * The second Sunday of September: Grandparents' Day * The third Saturday of October:

Finno-Ugric Finno-Ugric () is a traditional linguistic grouping of all languages in the Uralic languages, Uralic language family except for the Samoyedic languages. Its once commonly accepted status as a subfamily of Uralic is based on criteria formulated in ...

Day * The second Sunday of November: Fathers' Day * The day of election of the ''Riigikogu'' (parliament), the day of election of local councils, the day of a referendum and the day of election of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

Symbolism

There is a popular song dedicated specifically to the flag of Estonia: "The Estonian Flag" (). The author of its lyrics, Martin Lipp, had an eponymous last name, and his poem was set to music in 1922 by composer Enn Võrk. A symbolic interpretation made popular by the poetry of Martin Lipp has it that the blue stands for the blue sky above Estonians, the black for the attachment to the soil of their homeland, and the white for purity, hard work and commitment.

Various historical flags

File:Flag of Denmark (state).svg,

Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

ary royal flag of Denmark and the

Duchy of Estonia (1219–1346) The Duchy of Estonia (, ), also known as Danish Estonia, was a direct dominion () of the King of Denmark from 1219 until 1346 when it was sold to the Teutonic Order and became part of the ''State of the Teutonic Order, Ordensstaat''. Denmark ro ...

File:Flag of the State of the Teutonic Order.svg, War flag of the

State of the Teutonic Order The State of the Teutonic Order () was a theocratic state located along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. It was formed by the knights of the Teutonic Order during the early 13th century Northern Crusades in the region ...

(1226–1561) File:Flag of Tallinn.svg, Flag of Tallinn (former Hanseatic city of Reval), since 13th century, based on the three blue lions of the

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic ac ...

of Tallinn and Estonia File:Flag of the Swedish Empire.svg, Flag of the

Kingdom of Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic country by both area ...

and its

Duchy of Estonia (1561–1721) The Duchy of Estonia (; ; ), also known as Swedish Estonia (), was a dominion of the Swedish Empire from 1561 until 1721 during the time that most or all of Estonia was under Swedish rule. The territory was eventually ceded to Russia in the ...

File:Estonia lipp.png, ''Landesfarben'' tricolour of German-speaking student society ''Estonia'' (1821–1939), an unofficial regional symbol (banned by Russian authorities 1821–1862, 1887–1904, 1915–1918) File:Flag of Russia (1858–1896).svg, Tricolour of

Romanov The House of Romanov (also transliterated as Romanoff; , ) was the reigning dynasty, imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after Anastasia Romanovna married Ivan the Terrible, the first crowned tsar of all Russi ...

dynasty ( Emperor of Russia, Prince of Estonia, 1721–1917), national flag of the

(1858–1896) File:Flag of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic (1940–1953).svg, Flag of Soviet Estonia (1940–1941, 1944–1953) File:Flag of Germany (1935–1945).svg, Flag of

Reichskommissariat Ostland The (RKO; ) was an Administrative division, administrative entity of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories of Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1945. It served as the German Civil authority, civilian occupation regime in Lithuania, La ...

of the

German Reich German ''Reich'' (, from ) was the constitutional name for the German nation state that existed from 1871 to 1945. The ''Reich'' became understood as deriving its authority and sovereignty entirely from a continuing unitary German ''Volk'' ("na ...

(1941–1944) File:Flag of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic.svg, Flag of Soviet Estonia (1953–1990)

Nordic flag proposals

Several

Nordic cross A Nordic cross flag is a flag bearing the design of the Nordic or Scandinavian cross, a cross symbol in a rectangular field, with the centre of the cross shifted towards the hoist. All independent Nordic countries have adopted such flags in ...

designs were proposed already in 1919, prior to the official adoption of the Estonian state flag. In 2001, journalist Kaarel Tarand made a similar suggestion again – that the flag design be changed from a tricolour to a Nordic cross with the same three colours. Supporters of this idea have claimed that the cross, instead of a tricolour design, would better symbolise Estonia's links with

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

. However, as the traditional tricolour bands have by now become an important symbol of national identity, proposals to modify the national flag have not gained much popularity. Advocates for a Nordic flag have stated that Estonians consider themselves a Nordic nation rather than

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

, based on their cultural and historical ties with

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, and particularly

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Photo Gallery

Notes

References

External links

*
Estonian Flag: History

ERR News, 4 June 2024 {{DEFAULTSORT:Estonia National flags National symbols of Estonia 1918 establishments in Estonia Flags introduced in 1918 Tricolor flags